An Arranged Marriage
by x.Scarlet.Dawn.x
Summary: Behind the bride and the groom's backs, Konoha and the Sand village arrange a marriage for them! How will they cope with being married to an almost complete stranger, besides being too young for an average marriage? GaaraxHina, rated T for mild language
1. Chapter 1

Gaara had been suspicious of this meeting since he got the memo. It hadn't actually specified what was to happen, just that it was important. When he walked into the meeting room, everyone got quiet and looked at him. The worst part was, they were _smiling._

Gaara frowned as he took his seat, eyes following his every move. "Why was the meeting called?" he asked.

Temari looked down sheepishly. "Well, see, some of the elders think it would be best... I mean, I guess they have a point, but-"

"They're forcing you to get married," stated Kankuro bluntly.

Gaara blinked. Married? But he was the Kazekage! They couldn't force him... right?

* * *

Hinata hurried through the halls of the Hyuuga compound. Her father said he had something he needed to talk to her about...

As she turned a corner, she almost bumped into Neji. "Ah! I'm so sorry, Neji!" she cried. Neji was going to be head of the Hyuuga family when her father died, since he was obviously a genius and fully capable of leading the clan.

He looked at her sadly, and put his hand on her head. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it... But I can't say I'm surprised. Good luck, Hinata." With that, he left, leaving Hinata puzzled, and extremely nervous.

He slipped into her father's 'meeting room', as he called it, and sat down across from him. "You said you n-needed to see me, father?"

He sighed. "Hinata, let me make it blunt for you. I've arranged a marriage for you with the Kazekage of the Sand Village. It will strengthen our friendship with them. That is all, you may go."

Hinata stumbled out of the room and collapsed against the wall. Married... to the Kazekage? But... wasn't he that bloodthirsty no-eyebrows boy from the Chuunin exams? And Naruto... Her eyes started swelling up with tears and she ran to her room. This couldn't be happening...

* * *

Temari popped into Gaara office. "Hey, Gaara, come with me to buy a suit for your wedding!"

He gave her a death-glare.

"B-but you need a suit," she continued hesitantly.

He continued glaring, but said, "Just get me anything. I don't care."

Temari left the room, only then to realise that she would need his measurements if he wasn't going to come. "Hey, Gaara..."

* * *

Hinata was supposed to meet Sakura, Ino, and Tenten at a bridal gown store, since they were all very excited for her. She was a bit less enthusiastic about the whole thing.

As she wandered over to the store, an energetic blonde ran up. "Hinata! Hinata!"

Her eyes grew wide as she saw Naruto approach. "Eh? Naruto?"

He met her with a big smile. "I just heard the news! Congratulations!" She looked away. "Th-thanks..."

"Gaara's a great guy, once you get to know him, really!" He reassured her with a nice-guy pose. She faked a smile,_ Even if he is, he's not the one I want to marry..._

He left, once again congratulating her.

She sighed, and walked to the shop. He obviously still didn't know she liked him. Everyone was already there. They all smiled when they saw her. "Hinata! Come on!" yelled Ino.

They made her try on a really frilly dress and she blushed when she looked into the mirror.

"That's not a very flattering dress." Kiba appeared behind them, placing his hand on Hinata's shoulder.

She looked up in surprise. "Eh? Kiba!" Sakura and Ino huffed at him about how that wasn't very nice, until Hinata said she agreed with him. They shoved a different dress at her and practically threw her into the dressing room. When she came out, Kiba whistled.

"Now THAT'S a good dress, Hinata.," he said. She blushed and looked into the mirror. It was a simple dress, very traditional, and it fit her perfectly.

She bought the dress and as they were parting, Tenten whispered, "I hope you have a good marriage. Personally I would hate to marry someone I don't know." She gave a compassionate smile and took off.

Hinata was left with Kiba, who walked her home. "Kiba... why did you come into the shop today?" she questioned.

He shrugged. "I was passing by and saw you guys through the window. And I want to spend as much time with you before you're married. Thought you could use some advice, too. After all, what are teammates for?"

"Thank you, Kiba..."

That night, Naruto lay awake in his bed, thinking about Hinata once again. _Damn you, Gaara... If only I had been faster..._


	2. Chapter 2

The pre-wedding planning all went by so fast, so before anyone knew it, Gaara and Hinata were standing in front of a priest, "Do you, Gaara, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," he said, his face blank.

"And you, Hinata, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She took a breath and said, "I do."

The priest nodded, and said, "You may now kiss the bride."

Gaara stepped forward and lifted her veil. He leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry," so only she could hear. He kissed her softly, with her eyes still wide from surprise.

They were to live in the Sand Village, since Gaara couldn't neglect his duties as the Kazekage. Because of this, they had decided to have the wedding in the Leaf Village. After the wedding, Gaara and Hinata took a carriage to the Sand Village.

He sat on one side, she sat on the other, and both were silent. Hinata shivered, since it was night time and she wasn't wearing anything particularly warm. Suddenly, a blanket was over her head. She removed it so she could see.

"G-Gaara-"

"You're cold," he stated, still looking out the window. She nodded and carefully wrapped herself in the blanket. It was very warm, and soon she was all snuggled up in her seat.

She was about to nod off the sleep, when she saw Gaara shiver, when obviously trying not to.

She looked at him in concern. "N-now you're cold."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, y-you just shivered. You m-must be cold."

He looked at her, curious. Not many people would oppose him, especially when they first met him. "There's only one blanket." His eyes lazily drifted back out the window. "I'll be fine."

Hinata sighed, and moved over in her chair. "H-here. We can sh-share the blanket."

This time, his head whipped around. "You want to... share?" he asked, surprised.

She nodded, and he hesitated. _She wants to share a blanket with me? No one has ever so much as wanted to share a room alone with me before. It would just be too awkward to accept. But then, I am her husband now... She's probably just being polite... But... it is very cold..._

He eventually decided to move over and sit with her. There wasn't a lot of space, so their arms were touching; his hands brushing against hers, both of them blushing.

Gaara exhaled. So, it was extremely awkward, but at least neither of them were cold, right? After a few minutes, something fell on his shoulder that almost made him jump. He carefully looked down to find Hinata's head resting on his shoulder, and she was fast asleep.

His eyes grew wide as his face grew beet-red as he quickly looked the other way. At least, at first he did. But he couldn't help but look down at his new wife.

All he could think of before he too fell asleep, was of how cute she was when she was sleeping...

--

Author's Notes: Yay! Chapter 2 is up, though it's a bit short... Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I really do appreciate it! The third should be up fairly soon, so look forward to it!


	3. Chapter 3

The two newlyweds woke when the carriage jerked forward. They had stopped. Gaara looked outside, and then hopped out.

"Come, Hinata-san. We've arrived." Gaara held out his hand to help her down the steps of the carriage. She blushed at this gesture since she wasn't used to such politeness.

"Th-thank you, Gaara-kun."

They walked in silence to the house. Hinata looked a bit skeptical since her old house was, let's face it, really a mansion. This house was modest sized and completely furnished. After exploring it around for a while, Hinata found it oddly... comfortable. It wasn't as empty as the main branch's mansion. It was... cozy.

Hinata found the bedroom - a fair sized room with a king-sized bed in the middle and its own bathroom off to the side. She changed her clothes, and puttered about for a bit doing random things to keep herself occupied, until she got hungry. After all, she hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and it was now well into the afternoon. She wandered over to the fridge, but unfortunately when she got there... it was empty. She sighed and went to find Gaara, who was in his office.

"Um... G-Gaara-kun..." Hinata pocked her head into the room from around the door. "We... have no food." He looked up from some paperwork he was doing. _Must have something to do with his duties as Kazekage,_ thought Hinata.

He blinked. "...Really? They... They didn't buy any for us?"

Hinata shook her head. "It appears n-not."

Gaara stood and threw his papers onto the coffee table, sighing angrily. "What?! Those no good, rotten, evil, mean humans we call our family forced us to marry but they didn't even buy us food to live off of?!"

He stalked over to the front door, muttering angrily under his breath. He grabbed two coats (which were laid out by Hinata earlier) and threw one over to Hinata.

"Come on, we're going shopping." With that last comment, Gaara was out the door. Hinata followed closely behind, trying not to laugh at his uncharacteristic outburst.

--

At the market, Hinata and Gaara were at a bit of a loss at what to do. Neither of them had really gone grocery shopping before. Hinata knew how to cook, of course, she just didn't really know how to... buy the food. Her father always made the maids do it, since "an heiress won't need to know how to shop for food". Well, technically she wasn't an heiress anymore, so he was right. In a way, anyways. And to make things worse, (Hinata might have just been being paranoid about this), but she could've sworn everyone was staring when they thought the new couple wasn't looking.

She sighed quietly and looked at her feet, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks. "Um... G-gaara-kun... W-what's your f-favourite food?"

He looked at her curiously. "So have you always had that stutter, or is it new- just for me?" he asked.

"Eh?!" Hinata's eyes grew wide and she stopped walking. No one had asked her about her stutter before, even if they did wonder about it...

Gaara turned around when he realized she had stopped following him. "Well, come on then." He gently took her hand to lead her through the crowd. He didn't notice how red she was.

"Oh, and to answer your question... I like strawberries best. But I'm sure anything you make will be delicious." He smiled hesitantly. "Naruto often told me how good a cook you were."

Hinata looked to the ground and didn't say anything. So Naruto had told him of her talents...

_'You'll make a good wife one day, Hinata-chan!' _

She bit her lip to hold back her tears. Gaara looked back. "Um... Hinata-san? Are... Are you alright?"

She looked up and forced herself to smile. "Yes! Let's go find some food!" She walked past, leaving a concerned Gaara to follow.

--

After buying supplies for a week or so, they went back to the house. Hinata started preparing their dinner, and Gaara went back into his office. He became involved in a novel he was reading and his concentration was only broken when a knock came upon the door.

"Um... Gaara-kun... dinner is ready."

He followed her into the dining room, and his eyes grew wide at what he saw.

Although the table wasn't filled (since there was only two of them; Hinata didn't want to waste anything), the food looked amazing, like from a five star restraunt.

"Hinata-san... this looks delicious."

She smiled and sat down. "W-well... eat all you want!"

They ate mostly in silence, but it wasn't at all awkward. It was a comfortable silence.

Gaara finished first. "Thank you for the meal." He stood up and on his way out, he stopped beside Hinata. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "That was the best meal I've had in years. Thank you." He then proceeded to walk out of the room, to who knows where.

Hinata was left at the table, unable to eat. She could only stare as her face turned a brighter and brighter shade of red. But what she didn't see was that before Gaara left the room, he was as red as she was.

--

AN: Sorry for the late update... I've been really busy lately with school and such. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last two chapters! If I didn't respond, it was because I didn't have enough time to, not because I didn't care. I LOVE YOU ALL!! ...In a not creepy way. :P  
Also, did Gaara seem a bit OOC to anyone in this chapter? I think he's trying to be nicer and more open for Hinata-chan! :D


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata was staying up to read much later than she normally would. She couldn't help but yawn, no matter how hard she tried to stop it.

_I guess... there's no point prolonging it._

She took in a deep breath. This was the part she had been dreading the most, ever since her father had told her of the marriage: the first night together. Gaara was still in his study; he hadn't come out of it since dinner. She made her way to the master bedroom and searched for some pajamas. She found a green silk button up top and bottoms to match. They used to be her winter pajamas, but despite the heat in Suna during the day, the nights were very chilly, even more so than in Konoha. She went into the bathroom to put them on. They were a bit too big for her, but she prefered baggy clothes.

She washed up and then peeked around the corner. Gaara hadn't come up yet. She quietly made her way to the bed and sat down on it. She gasped as she sunk into it. It had to be the most comfortable bed she had ever been on! She rolled over on top of it, giggling like a small child might have. Then she realized Gaara could come in at any moment, and she stopped abruptly, a small amount of pink appearing on her cheeks as she imagined what might have happened if Gaara caught her doing that.

She didn't bother getting under the covers; she was far too tired. Staring at the ceiling, she wondered when Gaara might get tired. She never did find out though, because she fell asleep instantly.

--

Hinata woke up to a stream of sunlight pouring through from the window. She sat up slowly and yawn, rubbing her eyes. She froze as she realized where she was. She slowly turned her head to the other side of the bed, and saw... nothing. She frowned, a bit confused. As she got off the bed, she realized she was under blankets, while she didn't remember getting under them.

She picked out some clothes and made her way into the bathroom for a shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, she still saw no sign of Gaara. She quietly made her way down the stairs to the kitchen for some breakfast, but hesitated when she passed the living room. There, on the couch, was Gaara- sleeping soundly with a few blankets covering him, though he was still in his clothes. She wasn't really sure whether to feel relieved or hurt that he chose to sleep down here. Did he think the same thing she did, in that they didn't know each other well enough to sleep in the same bed, or was there something... wrong with her? Then she realized that he must have come up to the room at some point during the night and put blankets on top of her. This though just made her even more confused, but she shook her head to brush it off and continued to the kitchen.

_I wonder if Gaara likes eggs..._

--

Gaara woke to the smell of eggs, bacon, and... He sniffed. Pancakes. Raising his arms up, stretching and yawning, he made his way into the kitchen. _Hinata-san must be making breakfast,_ he thought, hoping that she was making enough for him, too.

He froze as he walked into the kitchen, his arms dropping to his sides and his eyes widening. Hinata was humming to herself and she moved about the kitchen. Her long, navy hair was all tied up into a messy ponytail, with the exception of her bangs and a few shorter hairs that hung in front of her ears. Despite her completely casual attire, Gaara thought she looked... beautiful.

_I can see myself making a family with her... _Light pink flooded across his cheeks as he realized what he just thought. He shook his head, and looked up at Hinata. She flipped some pancakes and then turned around, probably to get something from the fridge. She stopped, her eyes widened in surprise to match his.

"Ah! G-good morning, Gaara-kun. I... um... I hope you slept well."

He quickly regained his composure. "Good morning, Hinata-san. I did sleep well, thanks." He touched the back of his neck and grimaced. The truth was, he strained his neck while sleeping, but he didn't want Hinata t know that. She would probably feel sorry for him, and he didn't want that.

She watched him grimace and her eyes widened with worry and a bit of guilt, though she said nothing on the subject. Instead she said, "I-I'm just finishing making the breakfast. Y-you should have time to go w-wash up a bit."

Gaara looked down in surprise, realizing that he was still wearing his clothes from the other day. "Oh... right." He turned around and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Hinata stood in the kitchen, watching him go_. Was he... staring at me?_

--

Hinata had just laid out the table when Gaara walked in, his hair darkened and dripping from the water. A light pink tainted her pale cheeks as she realized, despite his monstrous actions during the chuunin exams... he was really, really good looking. He scanned the table before sitting down.

"I-I hope you like pancakes. I didn't r-really get a chance to ask, s-so..." Hinata pointed her fingers together as she spoke.

Gaara nodded, and then he gestured towards a bowl with some sort of red mixture in it. "Hinata-san... may I ask what this is?"

"Ah!" The pink returned to her cheeks. "W-well, I made a strawberry sauce for the pancakes out of some of the f-fresh strawberries we got yesterday... since you said you l-liked them."

He looked at her for a minute, as if trying to comprehend that she made something for his tastes in mind rather than her own. He looked back down, and after giving his pancakes some sauce, proceeded to eat. Not a word was spoken throughout the entire meal, and Hinata was wondering nervously all the while if he liked it.

After her was finished, he got up and walked over to stand right beside Hinata's chair. She looked up hesitantly to see Gaara's eyes seeming very warm and kind, though his face was blank. "Again, that was delicious, Hinata-san. I wish you would stop stuttering though." He started walking out, no doubt to shut himself in his office.

Hinata was left speechless, but before he reached the door, she managed to blurt out, "Please!"

He stopped in his tracks, and turned slightly so he was facing her. She looked scared, but there was a look of determination behind her eyes. "I-I'll try to stop the stutter, b-but... I want you to stop referring to me with 'san' after my n-name."

He smiled and walked over. "Of course, Hinata_-sama." _He kissed the top of her head and left the room, leaving a tomato-faced girl behind.

--

AN: Jeez, there's a lot of blushing going on here! I guess both Gaara and Hinata both need to work on that :P  
So sorry for the late update, I really am! I tried to make this chapter longer though, so I hope everyone likes it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the past chapters!  
Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

The couple lived like that for a couple months. Hinata slept in the bedroom and Gaara, on the couch. Hinata wasn't pleased with it, but she couldn't gather up the nerve to ask him to join her.

Almost exactly two months after the wedding, Gaara got a message from the Hokage; there was a meeting in Konoha he had to go to. After re-reading the letter, he went into the living room to find Hinata. She was busily doing... something, and jumped when he called her name.

She quickly shoved whatever she was working on under a pillow. "Y-yes, Gaara-kun?"

He frowned. She had started to stutter less and less as the days went by; she hadn't stuttered at all for almost two weeks. He shrugged it off.

"Hinata, I just got word from the Hokage." Hinata suddenly looked worried-- "_Is something wrong? Is everyone safe?"_ -- Gaara's serious expression had given her the wrong impression.

"Don't worry, nothing's wrong."  
She relaxed.  
"I'm being called to a meeting in Konoha. We would leave tomorrow- that is, if you want to come with me."

Hinata's eyes grew wide and a huge smile formed on her lips. "...Really? I can go?"

Gaara nodded. "I figured you would want to see your family and friends again..." he started to explain, but got cut off by Hinata jumping up and hugging him (some people might call this a 'glomp'). She kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much! I will start making a boxed lunch for us!"

She rushed away to the kitchen, leaving Gaara in the living room, stunned. He slowly brought his hand to his blushing cheek, and he couldn't hide the small smile playing on his lips.

--

Hinata was busy in the kitchen, making a wonderful lunch for her and Gaara. She was humming to herself as she did so.

_I cannot believe I get to go see everyone again! I think I was wrong about Gaara... he seems so... so... caring, almost, despite what he did to poor Lee back in the Chuunin exams._

She paused and gazed out the window, lost in her thoughts.

_...He never abuses me, never does anything I don't want to do... He respects my space, and always seems so appreciative of me. I think... I could learn... to lo-..._

"Ehhh!" Hinata's face turned pink as she realized what she had almost just thought. She shook her head to erase that thought.

_W-well, it will be nice to see everyone again. Neji, Hanabi, even Father. And my friends of course._ She started listing them, making sure she hadn't forgotten anyone. _Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Ino, Sakura, Naru-_

She froze as that name played within her mind over and over again. _Naruto. _She hadn't forgotten those feelings she had. _Naruto. _She had been busy, so he hadn't been the first thing on her mind... _Naruto. Naruto. Naruto._

A tear trickled down her cheek as she remembered what her "perfect future" fantasy had been. She would be a great shinobi, respected by not only her father, but the entire village. Naruto... Naruto would recognize her as someone worthwhile, and he... she... they would be... _  
No. That is impossible now. There is no use thinking about what may have been._

Hinata brushed away the tear and a look of determination was on her face. She continued making lunch, and tried not to think of Naruto for the rest of the day.

--

The next day, Gaara and Hinata set off at the crack of dawn in a carriage. Temari was left in charge of Suna while Gaara was gone, but she wasn't happy about staying behind. Hinata knew this was because she wanted to see Shikamaru, but Kankuro was on a mission and no one else was able to fill in for Gaara.

The carriage ride was long, but Hinata soon fell asleep. She was up all night worrying about seeing everyone again, and she didn't get any sleep. When she woke up again, it was nightfall and the carriage had stopped. Gaara was looking at her. "We're here, Hinata."

Her heart started pounding. _Well, here goes nothing._ She took a deep breath before exiting. Taking Gaara's offered hand to help her down, she took in her surroundings. Nothing had changed since she was here two months previous. She smiled. _A good sign._

As they entered through the gate, the guards smiled at them, bowing slightly to the Kazekage. Gaara nodded in their direction. They continued on through the streets Hinata had known so well, heading towards the Hokage's office. Hinata smiled as she saw the long-haired boy run up to her. "Neji!" She embraced him as they met, and Gaara couldn't help but notice a slight blush spread across Neji's cheeks. After glancing quickly at Gaara, Neji stepped back from Hinata. They exchanged pleasantries, and Hinata was eager to learn what had happened since she was away. She didn't get a chance to ask much of anything though, since Tenten came running up.

"Hinata! It's so good to see you again!" Tenten smiled at Hinata, then turned to Gaara, completely serious. "I hope you've been treating her well!" Then she smiled and punched his arm before grabbing Neji's. Hinata smiled apologetically at Gaara, who was rubbing his arm and slightly befuddled.  
Tenten continued talking. "You know! Ino and Shikamaru started dating about a month after you left!" _Oh,_ Hinata thought, _Temari will be sad._ "And, and! Guess what!" Tenten smiled up at Neji as she said this, "Me and Neji... well, we're dating, too!"

Hinata smiled at her cousin. "I'm happy for you two, then!" Tenten nodded, but Neji looked curiously at Hinata. "When did you lose your stutter?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.  
Hinata gave a start, "Wha-? O-oh... I hadn't really noticed..."

Gaara put his hand on her shoulder. "We should go see the Hokage." Hinata nodded, and they started walking away. "Ooooo! Let me come with you!" yelled Tenten. She linked her arm with Hinata's, leaving Gaara and Neji to trail behind.  
"So, like I said, Ino and Shikamaru have been dating for about a month... they're such a cute couple! Shikamaru gets all embarassed all the time! Oh, and guess what! Sasuke came back, too! He's under some sort of parole or something, but he doesn't seem to mind. He's trying to win back Sakura's heart, but what do you think; she won't have him! He keeps sending flowers, and..."  
Gaara stopped listening. He and Neji walked quietly side by side until Neji spoke, staring intently at Gaara. "You better not have done anything...unclean to her." Gaara glanced up, surprised. Neji continued, "She's my cousin. If anything happens to her... Kazekage or no, you will have to answer to me."

Gaara walked on, and cooly replied, "She's my wife now. I can do anything I want to her. Besides..." he smiled, "...doesn't she seem more happy than she was under **your** care?"  
Neji froze, stunned by fury. Rage reddened his face, but he remained silent. He stormed silently behind Gaara.  
"...Stupid Kazekage..."  
"I can hear you."  
"......Damn."

--

Author's Note: Aha! Silly Neji. Gaara is just teasing you, that's all. Anyways. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I apologize for it taking so long! -_-' Please R&R! If you want to critisize, that's fine: just no flames! Thank you.  
Stay tuned for the next chapter, in which Hinata is reunited with her old comrades! What will happen? How will she take seeing Naruto again? You'll have to wait and find out! ;)

PS, Please don't ask me to hurry with the next chapter. I promise I'll upload it as fast as I can, but I'm a full-time student and I'm doing a lot of extra-curricular activities, so I don't have as much free time as I would like. Thanks again for everyone's patience. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Neji and Tenten took off when they reached the Hokage's office. "We have a nice romantic evening planned!" said Tenten, happily.  
Neji rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say training with each other is considered romantic." Hinata giggled at the two as they squabbled with each other, but Gaara reminded her they had to go.  
"It was nice seeing you, Neji, Tenten. We'll be here for a few days, so let's hang out, alright?" Hinata smiled as she said this, and they waved goodbye. Tenten was running along, her usual energetic self, with exasperated Neji in tow.  
Gaara put his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "They may not be crazy about each other, but I think they make a good match." He shrugged. "Anyways, let's go see what the Hokage has to say." Hinata nodded.

When they entered the room, both were surprised to see Hinata's father sitting across from the Hokage, and Hinata was a little alarmed. Why would her father be there?  
The Hokage looked up. "Oh, good. Gaara, you've finally arrived..." She glanced at Hinata. "And you've brought Hinata, even though I didn't ask... well, maybe it's a good thing she's here."  
The two both had a look of confusion cross their face before Tsunade told them to sit down.  
"The reason for your coming here," she explained, "is to discuss any... heirs you may produce." Gaara jolted. He hadn't thought of having children so soon. They were both so young still, raising a family seemed far off. Hinata simply blushed.  
Tsunade continued. "After discussing it with your father, Hinata, it seems we have reached the only possible solution. You are aware, of course, that although you would technically be the rightful heir of the Hyuuga, by living outside of the village you have forfeit that right." Hinata nodded. "Therefore, it is perfectly understandable that your children would also not have that right." They nodded again. "However, one thing they cannot forfeit... is the Byakugan."  
Hinata widened her eyes, starting to realize what Tsunade was saying.  
"Yes, Hinata. Your children have a high chance of inheriting the Byakugan from you. Since you have sworn to never be a ninja again, that can be pardoned... however. We cannot allow another ninja to possess such a powerful bloodline trait outside of the village." Gaara started to protest, but Tsunade interrupted him, "No matter how close the other village is. Gaara, even if you can guarantee our alliance now, who's to say that when the next Kazekage takes over, they won't start a war?" Gaara fell silent.  
"For that reason, we must ask that any children that you bear, Hinata, that are gifted with the Byakugan... that they be turned over to the care of your father, or your cousin if he is head of the family by then."

Hinata stared ahead in shock, Gaara looked down in silence. Finally, Gaara broke the silence. "We... have to talk it over first."  
Tsunade scoffed. "What's to talk over? You will accept. You must."  
Gaara glared at her. "Tsunade-sama, you may be many years my senior, but I am Kazekage. We are equals. If you think you can order me around-"  
"SILENCE." Gaara jumped and looked at the man next to him. He had nearly forgotten his father-in-law was in the room.  
Hiashi stood from his seat. "Gaara-sama. You must accept, or you risk war." Gaara's eyes grew as Hiashi continued, "You must see the danger in letting another clan of Byakugan users be established. And if you don't give those gifted with the trait willingly..."his stare bore into Gaara as he finished, "we will take them by force."  
Gaara stared right back. "How dare you think that I would give my own kin away so willingly! I would-"  
"Gaara," Hinata whispered and tugged on his shirt. "We must accept."

"There, see? Even Hinata agrees. I have raised a fine, reasonable daughter indeed," Hiashi gloated.  
Hinata said nothing, but stood up and bowed. "It has been an honour, Tsunade-sama." She then left the room, with a befuddled Gaara hurrying after.

Hinata's pace was much faster than normal, and Gaara almost had to jog to catch up. "Hinata, how could you agree so easily?! I had thought you were kind and loving; how could you just consent to give away your children? Hinata. Hinata! Hinata, look at me!"  
He grabbed onto her arm, but wasn't prepared for what he saw. As Hinata turned, he finally saw her expression. Her cheeks were wet from tears still streaming down her grimacing face, and the look in her eyes was filled with such despair, Gaara couldn't help but feel horrid.

She glared at him. "And what makes you think that I was able to walk out of that room so easily?" she yelled accusingly. Hinata had never yelled before. "Raising a family was my biggest dream, even more so than becoming respectable in my father's eyes! But we can't risk war, not while we can stop it, not when so many of the people I love would be involved." A moment's pause, and her anger turned to saddness. "I couldn't bear it."

Gaara had released his hold on her arm by now, and she took off at a run. Gaara could only stand there, numbed by her words. This girl was one who thought nothing for herself, only for others... and that was a concept he didn't understand.


	7. Chapter 7

Hinata was wandering the streets of Konoha, trying to calm down. It never occured to her that her children would cause pain to anyone, even hypothetically. In her mind, there was no option- she couldn't risk war. As she was trying to wrap her head around the idea that she might not be able to raise her own children, she suddenly realized she had lead herself to the Ramen shop. She blushed, remembering all the times she had come here in hopes that **he** might be there.

Naruto. So many hours were spent trying to improve herself with him in mind, so many days were spent worrying if he would ever accept her. _Well, I guess it's not important now... _she thought as she approached the shop. She had grown hungry and decided that while she was here, she might as well eat.

As she was about to duck under the noren curtains, she froze. She heard Naruto's voice coming from inside; it sounded like he was saying goodbye to the owners. But she heard another voice too. A female voice.

She looked up as Naruto and Sakura left the shop, talking and laughing. Sakura was hanging on to Naruto's arm, and they were both smiling so happily. Naruto glanced down and his smile fell from surprise when he saw Hinata. He quickly regained it, but it was more polite than cheerful. "Oh. Hinata. I didn't know you were back in town."

"U-um, yeah. Gaara had business with the Hokage, s-so I tagged along..." she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Naruto nodded. "That sounds nice." He sounded a bit bored and rushed, like talking to her was almost an embarassment for him. Sakura was gently tugging at his arm. He glanced at her, then looked back up at Hinata. "Um, it was good seeing you again. We should be going though... See you around!" Sakura added a goodbye of her own, and then they were gone.

Hinata stared at the ground before her, where Naruto had been standing. She had visualized seeing Naruto again so many times since she got married, yet this was completely different than anything she had imagined.

She walked in and ordered a bowl of ramen, and just sat there, thinking and eating.

Naruto was on a date with Sakura. He wasn't particularly happy to see her, as Tenten and Neji were. He wasn't hostile, but he certainly wasn't his usual friendly self. And yet, Hinata felt nothing. She wasn't sad, or angry, or even embarrassed as she normally would be. _Why am I not jealous of Sakura...?_

* * *

Gaara ran through the dark streets, looking for Hinata. She hadn't returned to the hotel room, and it was past midnight. _Shit..._

He had covered most of the village looking for her, so he started searching through the forested areas. He jumped from tree to tree, hopelessly scouring the area. He was about to give up and check the village again, when he heard the faint sound of running water. _There!_ He had heard of her training in a waterfall before, so he followed the sound. It grew louder as he got closer, and soon enough the trees stopped; there was a small waterfall leading into a lake, and a river running from the lake to deep into the forest. Hinata was sitting by the edge of the lake, arms wrapped around her legs. He paused, taking in the breathtaking sight. The moon and stars were refected in the lake, and the reflected light illuminated his wife's face in such a way that for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. _She is so beautiful..._

He slowly approached her. She didn't move to acknowledge his presence, but she said, "I saw him, you know. Naruto."  
Gaara started. **Everyone** knew about her old crush, even if they never mentioned it. He silently sat down beside her and let her continue.

"I've always wanted to raise a family, for as long as I can remember. The first day I saw Naruto, I thought... that he would be the one. Everyone always picked on him, the entire village shunned him, but... he stayed strong. He always thought the best of everyone, he kept smiling and going for his dreams. Compared to him..." she smiled sadly, "I'm nothing."

"Hinata..." Gaara began in protest, but she continued. "Because of him, I was able to improve myself. I thought that this must be an amazing man, to make me act as such. I must love him. Eventually, I gained more confidence and became a better ninja." She chuckled at this point. "It wasn't good enough for my father. He still thought I was weak, so he married me off to improve family connections." She glanced at him, "But you know that."

She stared at the water. "Before now, I could never let Naruto go. He's always been an idol to me, but really, that's all he ever was. Someone to be admired from afar, but I know now it never would have worked between us. And now, suddenly... I am over him." She was staring ahead now, smiling, yet tears were streaming down her face.

Gaara placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. He reached over with his other hand to brush away her tears. "Hinata..."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them her eyes were filled with such a mixture of emotions (sadness, happiness, determination and... nervousness?), Gaara didn't know what she was thinking. He quickly took his hand away from her face- did he do something wrong? She smiled slightly.

"I think... I think this is because of you, Gaara. I was able to realize I didn't love Naruto because... because..." She took a deep breath.

"Because I fell in love with you."

Hinata glanced up at Gaara's shocked expression, her face completely red. He was staring at her with a look of such disbelief on his face, she felt her face become hotter and she started babbling, "I mean, I know we're married already but I don't expect you to return my feelings, it's ok if you don't. A-anyways, I think it's enough for me just to be near you and I--"

But Hinata couldn't finish her sentence, because Gaara's lips were pressing softly against hers.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this update is so long overdue, but I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
